The No-Bake Protein-Packed Snack I Can’t Stop Making

There are a lot of great dessert combinations out there but, to me, chocolate and peanut butter is one of the best. I love a good peanut butter cup with a snappy dark chocolate shell and a luscious, creamy peanut butter filling, like the ones you get in really good chocolate shops. 

It’s this combination that inspired EatingWell’s recipe for Peanut Butter–Oat Energy Cups. They offer the best aspects of a peanut butter cup—the chocolate and peanut butter, obviously—but also include some additional ingredients that contribute extra nutrients and make these cups the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or bite-size dessert.

These energy cups are easy to make and require no baking, but you do need a mini-muffin tin for them. You’ll line the tin with silicone or paper liners to make the finished cups easy to remove. The filling itself is a hearty mixture of old-fashioned rolled oats, crunchy natural peanut butter, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, vanilla and salt. All you do is mix all those ingredients together in a large bowl and then divide the mixture among the muffin cups. I find it easiest to use a cookie or ice-cream scoop for this part, as the mixture is a little sticky. Once the cups are filled, gently press down on the oat mixture to fill out the cups and flatten the tops in preparation for the chocolate layer.

You could just drizzle a little melted chocolate on top, but since you want the chocolate to set up and be snappy like a peanut butter cup, it’s best to mix some coconut oil into the melted chocolate. Coconut oil solidifies at room temperature, so it helps the chocolate set up smoothly and gives it that snap when you bite into it. Spread a little of the chocolate mixture over the oat mixture in each cup, using the back of a spoon, and then transfer the muffin tin to the refrigerator to firm up the chocolate slightly. After about 10 minutes, sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top to complement the sweetness of the chocolate, then return the cups to the fridge to fully set up. This will take about an hour, and then the cups are ready to eat. 

As someone who is often seeking a small bite of something sweet in the afternoon or after dinner, these cups are just perfect. They give me a little boost of protein and some gut-healthy fiber, but they also satisfy my sweet tooth. I can make a batch of them on Sunday and eat them for an afternoon snack or mini dessert all week. They even freeze well, so I can make multiple batches and pop them into the freezer so they’re ready whenever I want one or two. They don’t take long to thaw at all.

If you want, you can also play around with the recipe a little, reducing the amount of oats and adding some nuts, dried fruit or flaxseeds. You can even swap in a different nut butter for the peanut butter. Almond butter, dried cherries and dark chocolate make another winning combination—not as classic as peanut butter and chocolate but still so very good.

Next time you’re looking for an easy, satisfying snack that evokes the flavors of the beloved peanut butter cup, give these energy cups a try. Who knows? You might even like this no-bake treat better than the candy.